rodiziorobs

What's wrong with bley legos*? (*or worse, lego's. But that's more a case of atrocious punctuation than of correct naming. )

I am surprised I haven't seen more about his passing on the web. Film School Rejects has probably the best written tribute I could find.

A lot of that looks familiar from my local store back in Feb. The brown 1x2, dark bley 1x2 plate, and bley 1x2 plate with clip don't, though. Thanks for posting!

I agree, but for different reasons. If I am already feeling down, it reminds me that I should be doing something else--which makes it so I really don't want to go on to those other needed things, but I can't just sit there and build either. Long story from me, I guess, but hopefully it can help: About four years ago I was finishing my Master's thesis while working three part-time jobs to support my family, and in the middle of all the stress I became very depressed. I realize now I have always had some depressive tendencies--ever since junior high, at least--but at this period I was very low. I thought a lot about suicide: not as a crazy, sudden escape from the stress and ultimately from myself, but like a calculated move. I often thought through it rationally and how I would go about doing it, with a calmness that scared me then and still scares me now. About that time I realized what it was, that I had depression, and just that recognition made a huge difference. I was able to tell my wife about it--something I was hesitant to do at first, because I didn't want to burden her, but ultimately realized I had to have her help--and just sharing it helped clear my head and my conscience. I actually wanted to get better, and wanting that had been one of the hardest things for me before. That honestly was one of the worst things about the depression, and why it is so dangerous: you get down on yourself, to the point where you don't even care to get better because you think (1) it won't make a difference anyway, or (2) you don't deserve it (because you are failing in various aspects of your life, etc.) This is all lies. In my case anyway I became so low that it just led me to total lethargy--enough that I didn't even have the strength of mind to care. It's probably a good thing I didn't take any anti-depressants, because in that frame of mind I may have steeled up just enough nerve to actually follow through on my suicidal plan. How did I get through it? I don't really know, exactly. I had to look at myself as a stumbling success-in-the-making, not a perpetual failure. I had to applaud myself for trying, rather than see myself as needing forgiveness for screwing up. I had to change the way I saw myself, which wasn't easy. I am not sure today that I am totally over it, or that I ever will be, although thankfully suicide is the distant past. I know that having others in my life who cared about me was the best thing, and them knowing along with me gave me strength. So, as for Lego and depression: if it gives you time to clear your head, then that is healthy. But if having too much time with your own thoughts deepens your depression, then get out. Out of the house, out of your routine, out with friends, just out. If Lego leads you to positive relationships with others--which by the way, Andromeda's Gates did help somewhat with that, once I was already on the way out of my rut--then go for it. But if it is going to drive to to isolation and unhealthy solitude, then get out. As Robert8 said, it is just a hobby. While it might help, it isn't a solution. Professional help may work for some; I think it would have made me worse. But try and find someone who has an interest in you know, someone who you can tell when you are having an off-day and who will try and understand your needs without rushing to 'fix' you or 'cheer you better'. It might take some time, so try and be able to wait and work until you feel stronger; you're never worthless.

Wow, I was not expecting that! I knew a teaser was coming, but that was a full-on trailer! The characters look great and what little we can see of the production design looks fantastic. I didn't know I was looking forward to this movie so much. Now just to avoid any other marketing for it so I don't get over-hyped... I notice a distinct lack of eye-winking to the greater MCU--which I think is a good thing. Obviously there is some continuity with Klaue and whatever Martin Freeman's character is called, but its not like Tony Stark is in every other frame. It's encouraging, like this movie can go ahead and be its own thing without having strings to hold it down.

A friend of mine who lives in NC says there are loads of consignment shops that often have new Lego sets for huge bargains. He made me jealous talking about it. As for major chain stores, I don't know of any particular places to look. Good luck!

I hadn't! I didnt really get into CMFs until about S12 though, so I don't really try to keep a mental catalog of everything ever produced. I think he is my favorite from this series, though. He's a great character on his own, but he also has so many great accessories to swap in and out with other characters--the weapons, the wacky beard and mohawk, the printed arms, etc. He's a remarkably versatile fig for customizing and I am glad I managed to get a lot of him.

I was going to post the same! I like them all, but Farran's is the best IMO.

Exactly this. I tend to only really use instructions once unless I want to refer to a specific building technique in a given set, which means mine spend most of their time in storage, which I feel like I have to keep redoing when I get a new book in yet another size. As for actually using them, I don't have any complaints. I usually skip ahead a few steps and invariably find later that I have missed a piece somewhere, so it's all part of the fun.

Here is a candy dispenser I made years ago (although you'll see that to make it contest-compliant I had to swap out the candies with minifig heads!) The post has some photos, as well as links to my Flickr where there are some with actual candies. Thr pictures you will see use M&Ms, but I found that M&Ms are hard because of the flat side on them. My biggest issues were that they would jam the chute before they ever got to the mechanism. So I opted for Sixlets, which are basically rounder (and tastier) versions of M&Ms. I have built a handful of these before, each different, but it's been years. I'll see if I can sketch out some plans from memory and post them here. Edit: here is a quick sketch. I used this specific Volcano Island part for the button assembly. You could design it without it but I found it pretty handy.

Finished the third book, Infernal Devices. It's kind of a drag compared to the first two, but it ends with practically zero resolution, so I'm bound to read the fourth, which I will probably pick up this week.

@knotian Nice, the tower looks ace! The transition from level to level came out very smooth, but I am amazed at how huge the build is. I assumed from talking about it earlier that the top tier would be 8 studs diameter or so, and I was worried at those smaller dimensions that it just wouldn't look quite right. At this large scale, though, it looks very good. Glad I was able to help in some small way

Thanks, I can see more of them now. It seems it may have some issues, since other times I have tried that it only pulled up five different ones to choose from. I know the available faces can change based on what subforum you are in, but five seemed too few no matter what forum. It's probably because I'm on mobile. Incidentally, the pirate faces do show up on this post I am making now . If I notice the feature acting squirrelly in the future I'll report it. Thanks again!

Sorry if this is not the right place (or if bumping this thread ruffles anyone's feathers), but this link is no longer working. Is there an updated list of forum emoticons?

I put Voltron because I think it legitimately has a chance, as long as there aren't any legal issues with licensing--it sounds like the creators are a go for it, but they may not be able to, since there are different iterations of the show that are licensed by different entities. Because of that I said no to Iron Giant. If Voltron doesn't pass, then IG has a shot, but there's no way they'll both get passed in the same review like this. Vintage Tram and Ship in a Bottle don't present any licensing issues, and they also are unlike anything TLG has out right now or in the near future (as far as we know). I don't know if I'd buy any of them, but who knows. I'm not opposed to any at the outset, but it will depend a lot on the final product, price, and availability.

Yes, but mostly for Elves if you have 'em. I don't do a lot of town/city building (more Sci-Fi or Fantasy/Historic) so Friends torsos/legs don't do much good. Unfortunately, TLG doesn't care to introduce more Elves characters quickly so it really hampers being able to ccustomize them. As for colors, I think it depends on which sets. Obviously a set with a bright orange dragon will have lots of bright orange. Friends sets do have a lot of bright or pastel colors, but the amount in Elves is pretty reduced. Purple shades are much more common than pinks, and more useful in a variety of settings. Besides the treehouse and inn, the Queen dragon rescue is a great source of white and black and I often see it at 40-50% off, once as low as 70% off.

I fixed my washing machine with bricks (the switch broke) until a replacement part arrived. I have also built a camera stand and a cherry pitter/stoner. In less time than it took my dad to go to the store and buy one. (That was the turning point when he stopped hating Lego). I also built my wife a jewelry case, which I should really post here on EB sometime.

The Prestige, on Netflix.

The summer wave is already starting to show up on eBay, sold by TRU and--you guessed it--higher than RRP. I am not really a fan of this summer wave, I feel like the colors are off. The dark blue dragon looks okay, but I wish it were medium blue with dark blue accents. The pegasus recolor is a little gaudy, too, and while I like the Goblin King's castle I wish it weren't the same color as his wyvern. I will probably try to pick up the healing hut, though, after I have picked up everything I want from the last wave. Maybe I can mod the dragon to my liking.

While I try not to put much faith in any pre-release buzz, I hope WW does well and that DC can work out their issues. I haven't cared much for what they've put out so far, but I still am pulling for them to nab a win. Especially now--after losing Snyder when he has played such a crucial role in the DCEU at large--it has to be tough keeping all those plates spinning. As for Snyder himself, what a heart-breaking experience. He seems to be handing it quite gracefully, though. I appreciate his statement that even though JL is a huge project, at the end of the day it's "just a movie" and not as important as trying to guide his family and himself through this trying time. Also, Whedon's influence in this should be fairly minimal; almost all filming has been wrapped on the film and now its on to editing and post-production, which is of course a huge part of the process, but its not like he will be rewriting the whole script.

Fantastic job! You nailed the look pretty well, from the positioning and posture of the guards to details like the armored door. (Obviously having the ceiling would complete the scene, but then you'd have to deal with the lighting issues, etc, so it's totally forgivable!) It's amazing how well the game still holds up, incidentally I was playing this with my kids just last night.

Welcome back, glad the semester is over for ya I was under the impression that AG2 was taking place long after the events of AG1 (no pun intended), would it make sense to carry on with the same story? I am personally thinking of dropping every story thread I had before (even though I was never able to finish any of them) and starting fresh, but depending on how much implied continuity there is between the two games I guess we'll see.

I haven't bought a new castle set in a long time, but I would be intrigued by the thought of a 3-in-1 where the three models are a tower, a gate, and a wall (for example), and you can combine al three with multiple copies of the set. Keep it at a $20-$25 range with two or three solid minifigs and a good PPP (most Creator sets have this) and I'd buy for sure buy multiples. The same goes for space (not specifically "classic space", but anything from CS to Exploriens to Galaxy Squad-style: the whole gamut), give me some good colors, unique bricks, and let me build a small fleet of different vehicles (mini dropship, mining truck, defense vehicle for example), with similar livery, that would be great. Same thing goes for a Western set (sheriff station, bandit hideout, saloon). I wish Wild West were still an active theme, but a single set could satisfy that. Even Pirates could work (small ship, shipwreck, or small port/fort), but it would probably have to be closer to a $40 set to do any of those ideas justice. I would love having some one-off sets for these rather than a whole theme. Sometimes a theme isn't appealing enough to pick up, despite the good aspects it has (NK), or you can't commit financially to a big set in a theme but the smaller sets are bland. Having a well designed set that's versatile enough to be a 3-in-1 would be fantastic, if it ever happens.

I just read the review on Brickset, and it almost convinced me to buy this set. Seriously, it looks very good. If I don't end up getting it, I am for sure going to look up the instructions and try to piece together the internals from my collection, so I can learn new techniques at least.

I think if he were asking $500 then the value is there, but like the others have said, this doesn't look like a collection that has been cared for very well. Then you mention that he is pressuring you to buy now, and asking for over $1000? I would wish him luck and move on. You can find better deals on used Lego elsewhere for less, through both Bricklink, and vigilant eBaying. Heck, even new sets would be a better value than a bunch of that (at least it looks that way in the pics). Good luck!